The Dream Weaver
by Seizure-Tastic
Summary: No one is allowed to leave the secret panda village, but Kong Lin has been given an extraordinary ability. When she sleeps, her soul can travel, and she can enter into dreams. But she must use her powers to guide the Dragon Warrior back to his people.
1. Little Lin

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Kung Fu Panda. Don't sue me, DreamWorks.

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><p><strong><span>Chapter One:<span> Little Lin **

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><p>The story of how my world came to exist is not a happy one, but I will tell it because it needs to be heard. My village, and my home, was built on death and blood, on rage and injustice. I was not alive to witness it, but I will reveal all that I know.<p>

Long before I was born, my people—the pandas—suffered at the madness of a peacock named Lord Shen. From what I have heard, he has white feathers with red markings, like blood on fresh snow. Coincidently he massacred my people in the midst of winter, many years ago, and spilled much blood. Among the dead and fallen were members of my own family, all innocent and undeserving of their gruesome fates. The grieving for these lost souls has not yet ended in my village, even after more than two decades have passed since the great slaughter. I have learned that sometimes grief never ends.

My name is Kong Lin, which means "bright forest." I live a secret life among others like myself. My home is a place my Baba and his closest friends founded and named Nianzu Village, which means "thinking of our ancestors" or "thinking of those who have died." Here there are _only_ pandas; the survivors and the children of the survivors. Baba, the leader of this community, is a survivor, and I am his daughter and only living child.

I do not have much to say about myself. I will be fourteen-years-old in less than two months. In the village I am known as Little Lin because I am very short for my age. My Baba and Mama got married long after the massacre. It was a second marriage for both of them, since they both lost their first mates to Lord Shen's bloodlust. I am bookish, which pleases Baba. He is a great supporter of learning, especially for girls. Everyone is always commenting on how I don't speak much, but this is because I am always lost in deep thought. A friend of my Baba's once said that I have the spirit of a poet, and that I could find treasures among my thoughts if I searched hard enough.

Life in Nianzu is very simple. We live peacefully among our own kind. We grow and harvest our own food. The mountain air is clean, and we are well hidden from the dangers of the outside world. When I say dangers, I mean Lord Shen and his followers. The demon peacock still lives. Because of this, we have one rule in the village that everyone must follow. No one is permitted to leave unless it is absolutely necessary, and they must first ask my father for permission. And when they leave, they must wear a disguise, and they must be careful who they talk to. If anyone were to discover our hideaway, Lord Shen would come for us, and we would be ended for good that time. This is how we live in Nianzu Village. We are happy here, yet we are living in constant fear.

As much as I yearn to travel outside my village, I understand the reasoning behind having to stay hidden away. It is for our own safety, to protect what is left of our panda blood. I am young and naive, but I am not unaware of the horrors that gripped my people before I came into this world. Although I have never suffered, I know what it is to watch others suffer. I have watched the adult pandas cry for the ones they lost to Lord Shen. Mama often cries for her first husband. She had married him when she was not much older than I am now, and she had loved him deeply. Baba cries for his first wife, who had been killed while trying to escape with their baby son. Her body had been found in pieces. The baby's body had not been found at all.

Mama and the first wife, whose name had been Lihua, had once been good friends. Mama often says that Lihua had one of the kindest hearts in all of China. I never knew Lihua, and I never knew the baby boy. I mentioned before that I am always in deep thought. That baby boy is constantly in my thoughts. Did Lord Shen kill him, or did he freeze to death in the snow? Was his little body found later, long after Baba and Mama's old village was abandoned and the spring melted the snow off of him? Was he buried, or did he eventually sink into the earth on his own? Baba speaks of him so often that I have come to think of him of as my ghost brother.

Baba says that my brother and I would've gotten along well. He had been a playful child, while I was always serious and quiet. We would have been like _ying_ and _yang_ together. Sometimes I close my eyes and try to picture what my ghost brother would've been like if he was alive and still with us. I imagine a younger version of Baba, with smiling eyes and an easygoing nature. He would tease me, as brothers often do to their sisters. He would be protective of me, and ward off any mischievous boy who tried to flirt with me. He'd probably be married to a plump, pretty wife and have many cubs, who would all call me Auntie Lin. I would play on the grass with my nieces and nephews and he would watch me, and tell me that soon enough I would have a family of my own. He'd love me very much, and I would love him back.

Lord Shen has taken so much from us. I do not pray for his death, as so many in the village do, but I pray that one day he will realize the damage he has done. The pandas will live on, but because of his actions our black and white fur will always be stained red with the blood of our friends and family. Hold your loved ones close. That's what Mama always tells me. Hold your loved ones close, because if you let go you will lose them to the edge of a blade.

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><p>Please review.<p> 


	2. Visions and a Visitation

Thank you all for the beautiful reviews. I'm so glad that my story's being so well-received by such intelligent people. I hope I can live up to your expectations, especially with this next chapter, which was a real pain to write because now I have to get the actual plot rolling.

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><p><strong><span>Chapter Two:<span> Visions and a Visitation**

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><p>Night has fallen on our little village. In my family's house I am the only one still awake. Restlessness has taken its hold on me. I am lying on my futon, listening to the gentle rainfall test the strength of the thatch roof. I can hear Baba and Mama's snores on the other side of the thin wall separating our bedrooms. But these noises are not what keep me from sleep.<p>

Something strange happened in the late afternoon. As usual Mama and I were preparing the evening meal. As I was washing the vegetables in a basin of cool water, I glanced out the window and saw Baba walking away from the house. This was nothing unusual. Everyday he likes to visit the gazebo near the pond and the potato fields. He stays there alone until Mama sends me to fetch him for supper. He goes there to spend time with Lihua and his son, his dead family. His other family. Baba has a way of knowing when there are spirits present that are not of this world. Everyone in the village knows it. It is his gift. I believe that he can actually sense when his dead wife and son visit him on a passing breeze or fall from the sky as raindrops.

Today I noticed that there was something different in Baba's demeanour. He seemed lost, as if he'd forgotten the way to the gazebo. His eyes stared out into the distance, yet seemed to see nothing. I watched him. Leaning on his cane, he forced himself to walk, but he seemed weakened as if he had doubled in age.

I turned to Mama, who had busied herself with setting water on the stove to boil. She seemed concerned with nothing except eventually putting a meal on the table. Knowing Mama, she would've forced Baba to rest in bed long ago if he was really ill. I did not think that Baba was sick. Something was disturbing him in his mind. I longed to find out, but I could not leave the house and follow him. Mama needed my assistance in the kitchen, so I stayed with her even after Baba disappeared from my view. While I worked I was burning with curiosity, as if someone had set fire to my insides. I worked at a faster pace than usual, hoping that if I finished early Mama would dismiss me sooner. Luck was on my side and everything I hoped for came to pass.

"Go and see your Baba, Lin. He will enjoy your company before it is time to eat."

"Yes, Mama," I answered her. When I stepped outside the house I was immediately refreshed by the light wind passing through. I raced down the path towards the gazebo, holding up my robe so that the bottom would not get dirty. Despite my tiny body I can sprint quickly, and I reached the gazebo in a matter of minutes.

Baba was there, but he did not see me right away. His body was very still and his eyes were closed as if he were in prayer. I stood watching him at the bottom of the small hill that led up to him, suddenly afraid that I was going to interrupt his peace. He had lit candles that gave off a sweet fragrance and filled the gazebo with light. I listened to the music of the wind chimes hanging above his head, and waited for something to happen.

Baba lifted his head and opened his eyes. I could see his face clearly from where I stood. His eyes were dark and watery, like the pond's surface at night. I didn't realize that I'd been holding my breath until after he began to speak. "My son...my son..."

I couldn't stop the tears from falling from my eyes. I had always cried silently, even as a cub, so my salty tears went unnoticed. My poor Baba was heartbroken, and my own young, fragile heart broke for him. Was my ghost brother nearby? Did my Baba feel his presence? I glanced around, although I didn't know what for. There was no one else around except for my Baba and me. But when the wind picked up I felt a chill alll around my body, but not an unfriendly one. It was as if I was being given a hug by a cold, unseen being. I swear that I did not imagine this feeling.

The fur on my face was damp from my tears. I dabbed the wet spots under my eyes with the sleeves of my robe. I continued to cry, and without warning I let out a loud, unexpected sob. Baba finally turned to look at me, and his face fell at the sight of my distress. "Lin! What has upset you?"

"I'm crying with you, Baba," I answered. He began to shed tears as well. He gestured for me to join him in the gazebo, but I quickly turned around and walked away instead. I felt guilty for disturbing him. The wind had now stopped, and the world stood still. It was my fault. I had intruded on his time with his other family. I had ruined his peace of mind.

He called after me, but I didn't return to him. Later at dinner neither of us said a word about what occurred between us. We were both too shaken by our own inner sadness and we didn't want to distress Mama, who knew nothing. When we departed for bed we looked into each other's faces with emotion and wonder but still said nothing. Now here I am.

I have grown tired and should probably rest. Sleep comes to me easily now, now that I have somewhat emptied my mind of its heavy burdens through deep thought. This is unsurprising, and as I slowly close my eyes I wonder if I will ever make myself sleep again without thinking at all.

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><p><em>I am asleep, yet I am awake. <em>

_I open my eyes. I quickly realize that I am not in my own bedroom. Instead I am surrounded by a pale blue mist. It is startlingly beautiful. I reach out to touch it, but it drifts away from my outstretched paw. I walk towards it, yet it still moves away from me. I am not alarmed by the presence of this unordinary fog. I know that I am dreaming. My vision is blurry and my body is drowsy in that way only possible during sleep. The mist cannot hurt me, but I am still fascinated. I continue to try and wave my hand through it, with no luck._

_I suddenly hear soft footsteps. I feel them too. Someone is walking towards me, and I can feel each foreign step as a leap in my own stomach. I abandon my task of touching the lovely blue mist and look up. Through the mist there is a shadow, and I do not recognize its outline right away. It's not a panda's shadow. It is too small. It is even smaller than myself. _

_The shadow comes closer, and then it stops in its tracks. Now I can see what it is. It is a turtle, just like the ones from the illustrations in my books. I can see that he is quite an old turtle. He appears weak in body structure, but there is a certain strength in his paced movements. He is holding a staff, longer and lighter than the cane Baba depends on. I have never seen him before. I do not know who he is._

_The turtle approaches me. I instinctively take a step back. Something in his wrinkled but friendly features tells me that he will bring me no harm, but he is a stranger to me and I don't know why he's here. Why has a turtle entered my dreams? I have never met or befriended anyone other than pandas, since I have never stepped outside Nianzu Village._

_He smiles kindly at me. I politely return his smile. I do not know whether I should greet him first or wait for him to address me. Finally, he speaks first. "I can tell that you are a thinker by the way your mind is so full of fog. Even now you are thinking, and look how the fog grows!"_

_I look around, and he is right. As I was contemplating his presence in my dreams the blue fog had both darkened and thickened all around me, and I didn't even notice it until now. I can still see my strange visitor through it, and I am pretty sure that he can see me as well. "Who are you?"_

_He raises his hand, and the mist vanishes so quickly that it is as though it was never there. Suddenly we are standing inside Baba's gazebo, surrounded by water rushing from an unseen source. The waves splash against the stairs and sprays droplets on my robe. The turtle lifts his staff and taps Baba's precious wind chimes, which fill the empty silence with music. "My name is Oogway," he answers me at last. "I once breathed the air in this world as you do, but no longer. I have long past my time as a mortal being."_

_I do not understand, and he can read my confusion on my face. "We all wish to die peacefully, and I did so. Now I am a spirit of a paradise beyond your home."_

_"You are...dead?" I can barely believe what I am hearing. Have I gone mad? Am I being really being visited by a ghost? Or is this a trick of my imagination?_

_He nods. "Does this frighten you?"_

_"I am not frightened of you," I reply truthfully. "I do not believe that you have any reason to harm me."_

_"You have good judgement in character, Lin," he tells me. "And a sharp mind. This is why you are well suited to the honour I've come to bestow on you. The time has come for you to fulfill your destiny, and you will need special abilities to do so. I am going to make you a Dream Weaver."_

_I open my mouth to ask him what a Dream Weaver is, but he has already begun to explain. "A Dream Weaver is a mortal being with the power to detach their soul from their body, but only while sleeping. A Dream Weaver's soul can travel far distances and can enter the dreams of another, if the receiver has an open mind. A Dream Weaver may also speak to those whose dreams they have entered. These are powers unlike any others."_

_"Are you a Dream Weaver?"_

_"No," he replies. "I am a member of the Council of Spirits that resides over the world of the dead. We held a vote over whether or not you are a worthy candidate to become a Dream Weaver, and the final decision was in your favour. So I was granted permission to visit you in your dreams and teach everything you need to know."_

_"Why me, though?" I ask. "I am only thirteen-years-old. I know so little about the world outside my own village. I do not think I am the right person for this...position."_

_"My dear child, your youth and innocence are what make you perfect for this. You will not use your powers for the wrong reasons, since you have no evil or corruption in you."_

_"I don't think I am as pure as you perceive me," I retort. "I know a great deal about evil and corruption. My village was built on it."_

_"But such evil is not in you, Lin. Do you remember when you cried for your father this very afternoon? An evil person would not have shed such tears."_

_"You saw that?"_

_"Yes, from my seat on the Council. Your purity and kindness touched the hearts of all those present, and won you many votes. Do you know why your father was in such a state?"_

_"He mourns his first wife, Lihua, and my ghost brother. He felt them nearby."_

_"I'm afraid not, my child," he tells me, and I widen my eyes in surprise. "It was not the ghosts of his lost family he was feeling. Your brother was badly injured this afternoon. The tyrant Lord Shen nearly killed him, but he has been revived by the healing remedies of a soothsayer. Your father felt his son's pain like a blow to his own body, since the two are still spiritually connected."_

_"But...my brother is already dead!" I protest. "Lord Shen killed him long ago, before I was born!"_

_Oogway smiles affectionately and sympathetically at me, and suddenly I feel like I just said something very stupid. "He is...not dead?"_

_"Your ghost brother, as you call him, is very much alive. He is the Dragon Warrior, a great hero, and he has just achieved inner peace at very young age. His mind is now open to all the energies of the universe. I can tell by your face that you know where I am going with this, Lin. The time has come for you to meet him."_

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><p>Lin doesn't have her powers yet. She officially gets them in the next chapter, and things will get fun from there. Please review.<p> 


	3. Power and Gain

Whew! I had to conquer extreme writer's block to make it through this chapter. Mark my words, Lin and Oogway are tough characters to write. I hope you enjoy this chapter, and all the sweat and tears that went into it.

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><p><strong><span>Chapter Three<span>: **Power and Gain

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><p><em>I have been struck dumb by Oogway's words. I do not know what I am feeling at this moment, or how I should react. I want to believe his claim that my brother lives, but how can I? There's been so much grief, so much sadness, so many weak hopes and imaginings. Even before I was born, the tragedy of my brother's death weighed down on everything. I have always felt the heavy pain of guilt inside of me. I was guilty of being the child that lived, the one who survived to taste life and feel Baba's love. Now—according to this tortoise messenger—everything I had felt, and everything that I thought I knew, was wrong. All wrong. <em>

"_I have shocked you with this news," Oogway tells me, and I nod to indicate that he has. "I apologize for being so blunt, but I feel that I must be straightforward. I don't think that I need to sweeten my words when I speak to you." _

"_Sometimes a bit of sugar is needed to make the tea easier to swallow," I answer, and I see the amusement in his face. _

"_That is very clever." He smiles. His smile is a genuine one. I know it is because it resembles Baba's. "Did you come up with that?" _

"_Yes." _

"_A blossoming philosopher, and perhaps a poet as well..." A small gush of cherry blossom petals flies through the gazebo, right past my eyes and those of Oogway's. I reach out to grab one and it turns into light pink mist in my paw. I realize now that my thoughts create mist, just like that mysterious blue fog earlier. Like my own thoughts, the mist can take on various forms. It could be a flower petal, or a blade; a gentle spirit or a demon. I will have to be careful with this knowledge in the future. _

"_I would very much like to meet my brother," I say at last. "I have long awaited a chance to help fix my broken family." _

"_We do not have much time, then," he tells me. "Your mother awakes you quite early, doesn't she?" _

"_Yes," I reply. "I have my morning chores, and then I have my lessons." _

"_Then we have no time to lose. Kneel, child." I do so, and he places the tip of his staff against my forehead. He presses lightly, careful not to wound the tender flesh underneath my fur. _

_He begins to recite, "Kong Lin of Nianzu Village, I name you as a Dream Weaver in the name of the Council of Spirits and all those who dwell in paradise beyond the mortal world. Your soul and your body are no longer joined as one. They are two warriors fighting separately. Your soul will roam freely, but act justly. Your body will be its shield and its shelter. This I grant you, for I trust in your courage, your kindness, and your intellect." _

_At the end of his speech I briefly glance upwards and see a bright light coming from the end of the staff. Soothing warmth melts through me and touches every inch of my small body. Like an early spring stream it rushes gently but with that determination to break free of winter's tight hold. I feel lighter, yet I feel stronger than I have ever felt before. I feel like I can move mountains with my bare paws. I feel like I can jump hundreds of feet in the air. This is beyond glorious. _

"_It is done," he announces after a little while longer. "Now rise." _

_I lift myself up with far less effort than I needed to kneel. I know that I have become stronger now. I feel it throbbing in my veins, like a great rush of adrenaline. I am eager to know what I can do with this new power. I want to know how it will help me reach my brother and bring real peace to my village at last. I look directly at Oogway and await instruction. _

"_I see that you are more than ready to begin," Oogway tells me. "Now that you are a Dream Weaver, you will be able to step out of your own body when you sleep. Right now you have only just acquired your powers, so there are limits to how far you may go. Do not despair. The more you practice, the greater the distance you will be able to take your soul away from your earthly body."_

"_How long will it take me to reach my brother, wherever he is?" I ask. _

"_That depends on you, Lin," Oogway answers me. "He is quite far away right now, resting in a forest not far from Gongmen City. If all goes well in the next few days, he will be on his way to his home, which is even farther away from here. You must practice hard. Only then will you be able to reach your brother and enter his dreams. Now, let us have our first lesson. Give me your hand."_

_He stretches out his wrinkled hand and I take it without delay. His scales feel weathered and fragile, but his grip is strong. With my hand in his he leads me out of the gazebo, and the water parts to make a clear path for us to walk through. We turn and watch as the water engulfs Baba's gazebo and pulls it down like a beast devouring its prey. I can hear the wind chimes playing their sweet music even after the gazebo has disappeared underneath the water's surface. _

_Oogway pulls me along the path until we reach what I presume is the doorway out of my own mind. It is a small and modest door, painted the same shade of pale yellow as Mama's apron. I have never seen it before, yet I have a vague feeling that it was always there. The door's handle is the spectacle's most impressive feature. It is silver and shaped like a dragon's tail, with every scale carved to perfection. I am only allowed a few moments to admire it, for Oogway's reaches out and grasps his free hand around it. _

_He opens the door, and blinding white light pours into my consciousness. I have to squint to peer through it. I can see my own bedroom. I can see the wooden floor and walls, the stacks of books and my folded clothes. Oogway pulls me forward, and I prepare myself to leave my own body. I admit that I am a little afraid. The idea of leaving my body behind—and floating around like a ghost—discomforts me. What if I cannot get back in? Will I die?_

"_Jump now," Oogway commands me, and together we leap through the door and out of my sleeping body._

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><p>When we are outside he releases me hand and gently lands on his feet. I trip and tumble across the floor, noticing immediately that I can see through all my limbs. When I reach the wall my legs stick right through it, as if the wall were made of air. But I am the one who is made of air.<p>

Oogway laughs at my unfortunate landing and helps me to my feet. "Behold," he says, pointing over to my bed. "It is you, Lin."

It is me, fast asleep on my futon, breathing lightly and rhythmically. I slowly walk towards myself. I am unsteady as a walking, detached soul (gone is that confidence I felt back in my own dream world). I stare at my own body, my still figure. It is like looking in a mirror, except that the image on the other side doesn't copy my movements. I cannot even meet my own eyes, since my physical self has blocked out the rest of the world with closed eyelids. It is so unordinary that I can barely believe it is real. I reach out to tap my own head, but my paw passes through it like a light breeze. My body doesn't even stir. It continues to sleep...dreamlessly.

Oogway places a comforting hand on my shoulder. "It is quite something else, isn't it?"

"What happens if my body wakes up before I can get back inside my mind?" I ask. "Do I get trapped out here? Do we become two separate people?"

He takes his hand away. "Your body cannot wake up without you. It will lie there and continue to sleep until you are reunited with it. Now, it seems that you are strong enough to travel around your own room. That is a good start. Let's see how far you can go. Walk through that wall there."

"I can't do that," I protest. "That's where my Mama and Baba sleep. They will see me."

"No one can see you, child. The only part of you that is visible to mortal eyes is the sleeping figure right there. Souls are invisible. That's why many people have so much difficulty finding theirs. Now walk."

I do as he says, with some discomfort. The air around me feels very heavy all of a sudden. It's like walking through snow, with slush and ice all the way up to my knees. It seems that I am not as strong and powerful outside my head as I am on the inside.

"Concentrate, and try to keep your balance," Oogway urges me. "It will get easier, I promise."

With effort I walk right through the wall, with Oogway following closely behind me. It appears as though he is getting ready to catch me, if I happen to fall backwards. I have a sinking feeling that it just _might_ happen.

Mama and Baba are fast asleep under a pile of blankets. A thought occurs to me. "Oogway," I begin, "You said before that I could enter dreams, now that I am a Dream Weaver. Could I enter Mama or Baba's dreams right now?"

"I'm afraid not, child. I said before that you can only enter the dreams of someone _with an open mind._ Your brother has achieved inner peace, and with it comes such a mind. I'm sad to say that your mother and father are both still struggling with many inner demons. Besides, you are not yet strong enough to try. That will be a lesson for another day. Now let's see if you can make it to the other side of this room."

It is as difficult as it was before, and this time there is an unwelcome surprise. As soon as I step past Mama's side of the bed, I hit an invisible wall and fall backwards. Of course Oogway is right there to catch me, and he helps me back to my feet. I press my paws against this unseen barrier. I push with all my might, and it doesn't budge. I turn to Oogway for an explanation.

"At the moment, this is as far as your soul can travel away from your body. It is as I said before. You must_ practice_. The more you practice, the further away the wall will move. Someday it may just disappear altogether, leaving you free to travel where you please."

"But what do I do now?"

"Now? Now we go back, Lin, and reunite you with your body before your parents wake up. It is almost dawn and our minutes are numbered. Come."

We go back the way we came, back into my own bedroom. Back to my own body. Oogway gives me a congratulatory nod. "You have done well tonight. You will improve with time and effort, and I am sure your brother will be impressed when you meet him at last. Now we must get you back inside..."

"Will you visit me tomorrow night, for another lesson?" I ask him. "I feel that I still have much to learn."

"Not tomorrow night, but the night after. I am needed elsewhere tomorrow night, but I will not forget about you, Lin. Climb onto the bed and stand on the end, facing away from your body. Outstretch your arms."

A bit of struggle, some deep breaths, and I make it on to the bed. When my arms are raised, he says, "Close your eyes and feel your body's energy drawing you back to it. When you're ready, fall backwards, and sink back into your own mind."

Something _was_ pulling me back, and I was ready. With one last thankful look at my new teacher, I fall back. My soul and my little body are together once again. It's only a matter of time until I can put these new powers to good use.

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><p>I have to go massage my aching typing fingers. Please review.<p> 


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